I have a new term for internet shoppers - "Wipes". I know you have all seen the ads on TV. Everything seems to be comming out in a handy-dandy, single-serving-size, instant, disposable, form. It all started with the "Swiffer", now there are people too lazy to spray Armor All onto a cloth.

The builders in our area are no better. To them A/V wire is just as easily pulled by electricians. Now I have nothing against that trade...we in fact need them. After all, without power, none of our stuff would work. But in the years I've been doing this, I've seen only one electrician wire only one house correctly for L/V. It's the customer who ends up paying more when we have to fix the problems. (Note to consumers reading this: If your electrician [or security system installer] is not going to hook up your gear for you - DON'T LET HIM PULL YOUR WIRING!! I can't tell you how many jobs I've been on where inadequate and/or substandard wiring was pulled by hacks).

Way too many customers are being turned into wipes by the stupid prices available on the Information Super Cul-de-sac. Yes they can research a product, compare features, download owners manuals, even come to a place like this for advice on programming the remote. But they can't LISTEN to the product. There is no technician who will say "yeah, I've crawled around inside that TV and it's nothing but a cheaply built piece of @#$%". There will not be an installer to tell them that the equipment they are buying will not work in their situation or with other gear they're buying. All this takes experience - YEARS of experience.

Now to the wipes, there are a few things they take for granted. Number one "ALL GEAR MUST SOUND THE SAME". Therefore, they don't need to hear it. Number two "ALL TV's COME FROM THE FACTORY PERFECTLY ALIGNED". So that ISF calibration stuff is just a bunch of hokey. Number three "FACTORY TECH SUPPORT WILL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO HELP". So the ability to call a store and speak to someone who has actually hooked up the equipment is overrated. I could go on...

It is up to us, the Pro A/V guys, to make known that these assumptions are based on BS, advertising hype, and undereducated Super A/V Store salespeople. The internet will not do it for us.